This particular flurry of fist-shaking comes from Dallas, and started with Dallas Morning News critic Leslie Brenner‘s mediocre review of acclaimed chef John Tesar’s steakhouse, Knife. [Let this be a lesson to always respect the hallowed Zuni chicken.] Tesar owns another Dallas spot, Spoon, and has appeared on Top Chef.

The review did not sit well with Tesar. Like, at all.

@lesbren fuck you ! Your reviews are misleading poorly written,self serving and you have destroyed the star system and you really suck

Tesar and Brenner already have a colorful history. Earlier this year, he called her some negative things in an interview, and the more you read into their past, the more it seems like it was only a matter of time until the animosity bubbled over.

Following a touch more Twitter ranting, Tesar told Eater Dallas that he’s banning Brenner from his restaurants, because he believes she’s being unfair:

With [Brenner] and I, it’s become personal. It’s so obvious from the writing. And that’s why I’m reacting this way this morning, because her viewpoint — she’s entitled to it, but her story to her readership is not what everyone else is experiencing … I will never let her into another one of my restaurants again. If she comes in and tries to review it, we will just politely ask her to leave.

Read the whole interview at Eater Dallas; he even says how he feels just like Jon Favreau in the movie Chef (but probably without the Scarlett Johansson fling).

Brenner’s statement to Romenesko: “I stand by my review. I worked very hard on it, it’s fair and our readers will judge it for themselves. As always, I look forward to reading their comments.”

What do you think? How should chefs respond to negative reviews? Should they ban critics? Share your thoughts in the comments.